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CIA doubts before plane switch
U.S. intelligence officials had “low confidence” in an Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump that was relayed by Israel, and the skepticism helped prompt an extraordinary security operation during Trump’s departure from Türkiye last month, The Washington Post reported.
“CIA analysts did not consider the Israeli-provided information compelling”
The report said CIA analysts did not consider the Israeli-provided information compelling and communicated their skepticism to Trump administration officials, with one U.S. official describing it as “Israeli-derived, not U.S.-generated, and viewed as low confidence.”
The maneuver unfolded after Trump departed Türkiye’s capital Ankara following the NATO summit on July 8, when he was moved secretly from a legacy Air Force One to a third aircraft after concerns emerged about whether a new Boeing 747-8 aircraft gifted to the US by Qatar had adequate security protections for the departure.
A U.S. official said the Secret Service ultimately decided the potential threat warranted extraordinary precautions, and the White House did not directly address questions about the intelligence assessment.
Secret Service precautions and denials
Despite the CIA’s skepticism, U.S. officials said the Secret Service and White House proceeded with extraordinary precautions, including a covert transfer that concealed Trump’s location as he left Ankara.
One official told The Washington Post, “The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they're not taking any chances,” and Trump said Tuesday that “It's really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do,” according to the Post.
Roya News said Trump publicly boarded the legacy Air Force One in view of cameras, then was covertly transferred via an airport catering truck to a smaller Air Force C-32A military aircraft that flew him and a small group of aides onward.
The reporting also said several cabinet members remained on the old Air Force One, while Trump’s smaller plane departed from Turkey after the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8.
Rubio briefed; questions persist
The Washington Post report said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was briefed on both the Israeli intelligence and the Secret Service's planned operation, and it added that Rubio nevertheless boarded the legacy Air Force One aircraft.
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was briefed on both the Israeli intelligence”
NDTV reported that the two most senior members of Trump’s Cabinet, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, stayed on the old Air Force One following the Iranian threat, even as Trump was secretly moved to a smaller military jet.
The reporting described the broader dispute as a question of whether Israel’s warning was intended solely as a warning or could have been aimed at influencing U.S. policy, with one former official saying the episode “fit a broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reporting that some officials see as designed as much to shape presidential decision-making as to inform it.”
While the CIA declined to comment and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond, U.S. officials said the Secret Service’s core mission was protecting the president, which they said they achieved.
